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Carcinogenesis Advance Access published online on June 9, 2008
Carcinogenesis, doi:10.1093/carcin/bgn138
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Estrogens and genomic instability in human breast cancer cells – involvement of Src/Raf/Erk signalling in micronucleus formation by estrogenic chemicals

Alena Kabil, Elisabete Silva and Andreas Kortenkamp

The School of Pharmacy, University of London, 29/39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom

Corresponding author: Andreas Kortenkamp, Tel: +44 20 7753 5908, Fax: +44 20 7753 5811. Email: andreas.kortenkamp{at}pharmacy.ac.uk

Reports of the ability of estrogenic agents such as estradiol (E2), estriol (E3) and bisphenol A (BPA) to induce micronuclei in MCF-7 breast cancer cells have prompted us to investigate whether these effects are linked to activation of the estrogen receptor {alpha} (ER). Co-administration of tamoxifen and the pure ER antagonist ICI 182,780 to cells treated with E2 and E3 did not lead to significant reductions in micronucleus frequencies. Since these anti-estrogens interfere with the transcriptional activity of the ER and block promotion of ER-dependent gene expression, it appears that this process is not involved in micronucleus formation. However, ER activation also triggers rapid signalling via the Src/Raf/Erk pathway. When MCF-7 cells were exposed to E2 and BPA in combination with the specific kinase inhibitors PP2 and PD 98059, reductions in micronucleus frequencies occurred. These findings suggest that the Src/Raf/Erk pathway plays a role in micronucleus formation by estrogenic agents. Enhanced activation of the Src/Raf/Erk cascade disturbs the localisation of Aurora B kinase to kinetochores, leading to a defective spindle checkpoint with chromosome malsegregation. Using anti-kinetochore CREST antibody staining, a high proportion of micronucleus containing kinetochores was observed, indicating that such processes are relevant to the induction of micronuclei by estrogens. Our results suggest that estrogens induce micronuclei by causing improper chromosome segregation, possibly by interfering with kinase signalling that controls the spindle checkpoint, or by inducing centrosome amplification. Our findings may have some relevance in explaining the effects of estrogens in the later stages of breast carcinogenesis.

Key Words: Micronucleus • estrogen • 17β-estradiol, Bisphenol A • Benzo[a]pyrene • MAPK • MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Received January 10, 2008; revised April 30, 2008; accepted May 31, 2008.


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